The Sands Torquay
Words and Photography: brendan james

The name says it all, sand, sand and more sand dominates the landscape of ths stuart appleby-designed layout, which is maturing into a quality test of golf.

I’ll never forget the first time I played The Sands, Torquay. I
stepped onto the fi rst tee and was floored by the view in front
– I could see the flags of the 1st and 2nd holes, as well as few
wee strips of green fairway concealed between a whole lot of
fairway bunkers.

The immediate impression was any player would need Lawrence of Arabia to lead them through these sandy hazards to safety. As I was to find out, the bark of these holes was far worse than their bite.

The final approach to the par-5 16th adds to the challenge of the closing holes.

However, the visual intimidation these sandy hazards create is
set to be softened with the removal of more than a dozen bunkers throughout the Stuart Appleby-designed layout, which will actually enhance the course’s links golf characteristics.

Nearly all new courses have a settling in period, which is then
followed by some tweaking of the design. It is not until a course
is played in all types of conditions and is subjected to all kinds of
weather, that some changes to a course become obvious.
Such is the case at The Sands, which opened for play in 2004.

The management and course maintenance team has pinpointed more than a dozen bunkers that will be removed in the next few years.

Some, including a massive fairway bunker that covered the left half of the 3rd fairway, have already been filled in. Most of the bunkers that have been earmarked for removal were positioned in front of greens, making it too diffi cult to get approach
shots onto greens in high winds. They also penalised short hitters who could not run their approach onto the putting surface unless they threaded their shot between bunkers.

“These are only small changes and will make the course
more playable, especially for the membership here,” Course
Superintendent Nathan Bennett said. “Opening up the approaches to some greens makes the course play more like a links because players are able to hit bump and run shots and don’t have to hit into the air to clear a bunker. This can be very hard for most players when it is windy.”

A sea of sand lines the fairway en route to the 3rd green.

Set on undulating land and separated from the ocean by huge
coastal dunes, The Sands has vast tracts of exposed areas that one imagines would be windswept for at least 363 days a year.
Despite the removal of a selected number of sandy hazards, the
undeniable feature of The Sands will remain its bunkering. Each
fairway is dominated by these bunkers of varying shapes, depths and sizes. Appleby’s original design featured 138 bunkers and this will be reduced to about 125.

There is no doubt Appleby’s design team – which included 200-
course veteran Brit Stenson from International Management Group Design – was infl uenced by Dr Alister Mackenzie’s bunker work in the Melbourne sand-belt. This is not only evident in the actual bunkering but the deception of distance that is created by the placement of many of The Sands’ bunkers.
As mentioned, a case in point is the opening tee shot that looks far more intimidating than it actually is. Standing on the championship tee of the 357-metre par-4 1st it seems there is absolutely no landing area for your drive. A quick glance at the course guide confirms there is plenty of room between the bunkers left and right. However, a greenside trap to the right of the putting surface in the distance fi lls the visual void between the fairway bunkers. The “dead” ground that can’t be seen from the tee and the bunker placement deceives you into thinking there is nothing but sand strewn across the fairway.

The front nine certainly stimulates the senses but it is left to the
back nine to really fire up the excitement. There is not a weak hole on the homeward trek, with the stretch of holes from the par-4 11th to the par-4 15th being the premier choices among some quality holes.

At 434 metres from the back pegs, the 11th is the longest two-shotter on the course but, thankfully, it is most often played downwind. This is a beautifully designed hole laid out on the edge of the dunes.

Heading gently uphill past a small outcrop of Moonah trees, the fairway splits around a natural slope and an ideal spot to carve out some bunkers.

The second shot approach to this green, in terms of club selection, is a diffi cult one because you can’t see the bottom of the fl ag and the putting surface is quite deep. This writer’s suggestion is to take one more club than you think, if the wind isn’t blowing.

Arguably the best par-3 at The Sands is its shortest – the 153-metre 13th. The green is perched high above the tee on a ridge and you have to trust your club selection, as most of the green cannot be seen, despite sloping markedly from back to front.
The 401-metre par-14th is one of the most beautiful holes at The Sands. Laid out on land that was formerly part of the Torquay rubbish tip, there are seven bunkers ready to punctuate your progress along this fairway, set on the edge of a ridge and
featuring a steep slope down off the right edge of the fairway. The putting surface is also set carefully on a sideslope, with mis-hits right or long of the green sure to find trouble.

While the 14th is played with the prevailing wind, the 355-metre par-4 15th, which hugs the other half of the ridge, normally heads straight back into the ever-present breeze. This is the highest point on the golf course and despite the generous width of the fairway and inviting green, par is a good score here.

The Sands is a private member’s course but access to the course is available for interstate and overseas visitors by prior arrangement as well as guests staying at the adjoining Peppers Resort.

FACT FILE

LENGTH: 6,575 metres (black tees), 6,118 (blue), 5,711 (white),
5,200 (red).
PAR: 72. ACR/AWCR: 76 (black), 73 (blue), 70 (white), 73 (red).
CORPORATE DAYS?: Yes. Experienced staff on hand to organise your event.
MEMBERSHIP OPEN?: Six membership categories available.
GREEN FEE: $65 (18 holes, October-May), $55 (June-
September).
ADDRESS: Sands Boulevarde, Torquay, Victoria.
PHONE: (03) 5264 3307.
WEB: www.thesandstorquay.com
GETTING THERE: From Melbourne, take the Princes Freeway (M1) south to Geelong. Then follow Surf Coast Hwy for 20 minutes toward Torquay and follow the signs.

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